I am making a baby blanket for my SIL which involved knitting 54 small squares and sewing them together. I finished the knitting ages ago but am hating the sewing together!!! (thank you for the mattress stitch video)

I have to get on with it, the baby is due in 3 weeks. This is a lesson learned. My new skill to learn is how to knit 2 pieces together.

This is the very reason I seldom knit in pieces! If a blanket is made is strips, I just cast on all at once, same with sweaters. Mattress stitch is something I am having a lot of trouble with for some reason.

I don't mind putting together a small number of pieces but I don't do very many afghans anymore because of piece work. I have a granny square afghan I started eons ago but never finished because of all the pieces. I did decide just recently to finish it and deal with all the pieces and never again. It is crocheted with lots of color changes and ends to hide.

Yes, Suzeeq is absolutely right! And besides that...many knitting patterns will refer to the act of seaming as 'sewing'. It is understood to be interchangeable. Sew/seam...it's the act of attaching one edge to another. So, sew your seams together using any seaming style you like! And say that after two glasses of wine and I will adopt you!

Location: I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland - GREAT steamed crab country! :o)

Posts: 624

Thanks: 1,420

Thanked 477 Times in 234 Posts

Going to pieces over piecing...

Hi!

I agree - piecing is NOT my favorite thing, either! But there are some techniques that allow you to knit the pieces as you go so that no, or little, seaming is needed.

One such method is outlined in Lily Chin's book, "Knitting Tips & Tricks", and it's titled "Joining as you go", page 172.

Also, in "MORE Herrschner's Blue Ribbon Afghans" , there's a crocheted granny-square-like afghan called Harlequin that uses a method that could be adapted for knitting as you go, thus having the charm of a pieced afghan without the annoying "sewing" that usually requires.

Although I haven't explored it too thoroughly, I'd be willing to bet that You Tube will have some interesting videos on various methods.

Meanwhile, happy knitting!

Ruthie

PS. If you're looking for super afghan patterns I've found that the Herrschner's Blue Ribbon Books are SUPER and I've done many afghans from them.